The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 396: Cleared Charges

Chapter 396: Cleared Charges

Drystan returned to Noah, who was guarding Anna’s bedchamber. Soon after, a servant arrived with two guards. The servant conveyed an urgent message from Eric requesting that they come to the meeting room. The two guards were ordered to replace the knights to watch over the lady’s chamber.

Receiving the urgent summons, both knights went to the ground level and hastened to the meeting room. On their way, they encountered Garin, Damon, Eli, and Luke, who were coming from the opposite end of the hallway.

"Where are you coming from? I thought you were with Sir Navin?" Drystan asked.

"He ordered us to check on the royal guards to ensure they didn’t notice anything. We split into two pairs, and Sir Parker and I were surveying the east perimeter when we were suddenly summoned. We just got together on our way here," Garin replied.

Before Noah could ask anything further, they heard shouts coming from the meeting room. It was the voice of Ayden.

The knights glanced at each other, looking perplexed. They thought Eric had called them to the meeting room to discuss their next plan based on their findings with the tribesmen, as he had mentioned before, but they were unsure how the assistant healer had suddenly become involved.

"That is definitely Mr Norman’s voice," Eli affirmed. "What is going on in there?"

Another muffled shout came from behind the closed door.

"I’m not sure, but we’re about to find out. Let’s go in!" said Luke, stepping forward and reaching for the door. His strong hand gripped the knob and turned it open.

"Just calm down!" Eric demanded to flustered Ayden, who gripped Clara’s hand tightly.

"No! I will not calm down! They will harm my beloved, and I will not stand still!" the assistant healer exclaimed.

Ayden’s chest heaved. His fair face flushed red as he gripped Clara’s hand tightly. The knightess did not even wince – Ayden’s grasp did not hurt her at all. In fact, it surprised her when the assistant healer, after meeting her tribesmen for the first time, had not let go of her hand.

To avoid the confrontation drawing attention from unknown parties in the backyard, Eric had to persuade them to go to the meeting room.

Ayden, known as a nagger, continued countering upon reaching the room. He told the tribesmen that he would not let them take Clara for any reason and threatened to take action against them despite having no real power to do so.

"If you attempt to drag her with you, I will report to the authorities!" Ayden exclaimed again, scowling at the tribesmen who stood with their arms folded across their chests.

"And have her sentenced? Is that the kind of outcome you want?" Saures asked sarcastically, glaring back at Ayden. The assistant healer’s nagging had worn thin his patience.

"What?? Why would she be sentenced?" Ayden challenged.

"She killed not only one person but two. She would face the consequences if her crime were exposed to the authorities. I believe any kingdom on this continent has harsh punishments for those who commit murder," Thalgar stated determinedly.

"You would instantly put her in danger instead of saving her," Vaelen interjected.

Ayden wanted to yell back, but the tribesmen had a point. He had to swallow his retort, his face turning even redder.

"What?? Dame Verns committed murder?" Damon asked in disbelief, having heard Thalgar’s revelation.

Ayden averted his eyes to the assembled knights, realising that Clara’s dark secret had been exposed to them.

"It’s not what you think!" he said. "Clara had a situation! The first man she killed was innocent, but she didn’t mean it! Someone deceived and slandered her, and that person is the second victim!"

Surprised by the disclosure, Eric looked at Clara.

"Is this true, Dame Verns?" he asked.

"Sir Navin, Clara is under the protection of His Highness the Grand Duke. She–"

"Enough, Ayden!" the second-in-command knight demanded sternly. "If you speak another word, I’ll have the knights remove you from this room!"

The knight’s reprimand brought the assistant healer to silence. He then turned his gaze to Clara, awaiting her response.

"Dame Verns, this is a matter about you, and I want to hear directly from you about what actually transpired. Please be honest," Eric ordered.

Clara looked the second-in-command in the eye. After a brief pause, she answered, "Yes. What Thalgar said is true. I committed a crime and murdered two people from my tribe."

"There’s a reason for this, Sir Navin," Noah suddenly interjected.

Eric turned to him.

"So, it seems you knew," he said.

"She had revealed it to me quite some time ago," Noah informed.

"And you didn’t tell me about it?" Eric raised a brow, seemingly furious at being kept in the dark.

"You won’t understand even if we explain," the knight said.

"Then make me! You didn’t even try and assumed I wouldn’t!" Eric responded, his anger fused with frustration.

"The thing is..." Noah began, ready to elucidate the circumstances.

The second-in-command knight raised a hand, halting the knight from continuing.

"Like I said, I want to hear from Dame Verns herself! Let her speak and explain it to me. I don’t need you or Ayden to narrate the whole story for me," he said sternly.

Noah glared back at Eric in disagreement, but before he could speak, Clara interjected, "You’re right. This is my matter, so I will explain everything."

The knightess took her time revealing the details. The knights’ faces turned solemn as they listened, all except Noah’s, who already knew the story.

"It wouldn’t be fair to say it’s all her fault," Noah then said after Clara finished. "Her situation was quite similar to mine. I couldn’t bring myself to tell you because you wouldn’t believe her, just like you didn’t believe what happened to me."

"Your case is not the same as hers!" the second-in-command knight said decisively. "At least she admitted to her crime."

"You’re not listening!" Noah raised his voice.

"We’re not here to talk about you! So drop it! Dame Verns has already explained herself," Eric cut him off.

Ayden, who had been about to voice his opinion, hesitated, not wanting to risk being dragged out. He raised his hand, seeking permission to speak.

Sighing, Eric beckoned to him. "Fine, talk."

"Even if Clara admitted it, you can’t give her to them! She helped search for Lady Raychard and even sacrificed herself to save her. Don’t you have a heart? Look at her! She’s injured and can’t even defend herself. Who knows what these men will do to her!" Ayden pleaded.

A sudden silence swept the room. The knightess’s fate now rested in Eric’s hands as the grand duke’s representative. He was the only one with the authority to make the decision.

"Can you allow us to talk now?" Saures, who had been quiet, finally spoke up.

"All right. I do need to be fair. Let’s hear their opinion on this matter, too," the second-in-command knight conceded.

"Before that, I have a few questions for Lady Ammara," Saures said, his eyes darting to Clara.

Their gazes met for a moment before the knightess looked down solemnly. Saures’s eyes then fell to her hand, clasped with the assistant healer’s.

Clara looked at Saures, then Ayden, and finally at the knights, who were also expecting an explanation. None of them had received such news. The knightess pondered for a moment.

Clara knew Ayden was making up the claim of their betrothal to stop her tribesmen from capturing her. But if she revealed the truth, he would be embarrassed and lose face.

The assistant healer had been nothing but kind and attentive to her. When he finally confessed his feelings, she was conflicted. Pushing him away again would make her seem ungrateful, especially when she knew he intended to simply protect her. At the same time, she couldn’t deny that she, too, had grown to care for him deeply.

A part of her wanted to reciprocate his affection, to allow herself to be vulnerable and open her heart to him. He had shown her unwavering loyalty and support through the most challenging times. Indeed, she owed it much to him to at least give this a chance.

Meanwhile, Ayden looked down, knowing he shouldn’t have blurted such a lie.

"Yes, we are," Clara replied, surprising everyone. Even the assistant healer’s eyes widened, not anticipating her joining in with his deception.

"Are you speaking the truth?" Eric asked, his keen eyes quickly noticing the lack of an engagement ring on Clara’s finger. "Because he didn’t get permission from me, and I don’t see a ring."

Thinking quickly, Clara continued her fabrication.

"He... he proposed the other day. Mrs Foster took me to the garden so he could talk to me. We had a long discussion, and he expressed his intention for us to be together. So, I take that as a betrothal between us."

"How come I didn’t know of this, Mr Norman?" Eric turned to Ayden. "Shouldn’t you have consulted me before making such a proposal?"

"It... it just happened, and I haven’t made it official yet!" the assistant healer replied nervously. "But I really mean it. Everyone should know already how much I like Clara!"

"That’s for sure! I think that’s why he went missing the other day, probably to order an engagement ring," Garin chimed in.

Ayden’s face grew anxious. He did not want the knights to know he had actually gone to the lab to submit Anna’s blood for examination.

"Then, you do like him, don’t you?" Saures asked Clara. "He wasn’t pushing you for the betrothal, was he?"

"Of course not! Otherwise, I wouldn’t be admitting this myself!"

"Come on, Saures. She’s made it clear. They haven’t let go of each other’s hands till now!" Thalgar teased.

Clara felt her face warm from the rush of blood. Thankfully, her tanned skin hid her blush.

Clearing his throat, Eric ordered, "Let go of her hand, Ayden. Even if you’re considered already betrothed to her, you still need to make it official."

"Ah, right!" Ayden quickly released his hand, and the pair avoided eye contact to suppress the awkwardness.

"I guess you do like him, just as Thalgar said," Saures teased. "Otherwise, he would have suffered several punches to the face for that. As far as I can remember, no man had ever successfully held your hand before. Not even me."

"Stop it, Sky!" Clara told him.

A hint of jealousy quickly permeated Ayden’s heart.

"What does he mean by that, Clara? And why do you keep calling him ’Sky’? Sir Navin said his name was Saures. Are you more than just acquaintances?" he asked the knightess.

"That... umm..." Clara paused, unsure how to respond.

"We were in a relationship before," Saures explained. "We grew up together, and she had a crush on me, as did I. But as time passed, we found we couldn’t get along as lovers, so we broke up and went our separate ways. But we remained friends... until the incident happened. And ’Sky’ is my nickname. Only Lady Ammara calls me that because she’s the one who gave it to me."

"He’s your ex-lover?" the assistant healer looked back at Clara in surprise, then glanced up and down at Saures.

Compared to Ayden’s slender, pale frame, the tribesmen leader’s bronzed, well-built figure appeared undeniably more alluring, stirring an unsettling sense of unease within him.

"We are just friends now. Well... were," Clara corrected.

"We still are," Saures interjected. "Lady Ammara, the whole tribe has learned the truth about your case. A witness came forward and revealed that the previous chief was the culprit and framed you. By the time the witness surrendered, you were already gone."

"Oh, then why didn’t you tell us this from the beginning?" Eric asked.

"How could I, when this person," Saures gestured to Ayden, "kept shouting and scolding me and my subordinates with his sceptical assumptions?"

"Yes, he didn’t even allow us to talk. But I couldn’t let him be when he said he wanted to report to the authorities. That would have caused other unwanted implications," Thalgar added.

"That’s right. But we couldn’t say much as he kept ranting. So I thought I’d just wait and see where this would lead," Saures said, his eyes scanning Ayden up and down. "Judging from his appearance, I don’t think he’s a warrior or knight type. He doesn’t intimidate me. In fact, I find this sweet drama of him wanting to protect Lady Ammara rather entertaining."

"She’s the strongest warrior in our tribe. Therefore, she doesn’t require any protection," Vaelen laughed, making Ayden feel embarrassed.

But Clara, noticing the change in the assistant healer’s expression, quickly spoke up.

"I do need his protection. As you can see, I’m severely injured. He, the healer, Mr Rafe Amares, and Miss Canton treated me. Also, I have a friend named Miss Emily Baker who has been helping with my condition. This knight," she gestured to Noah, "was the one who saved and brought me and Miss Baker from Ardel to this safe place."

"What happened to you, and why were you in Ardel? Also, I heard them addressing you as Dame Verns. Isn’t ’Dame’ a title for a knightess?" Saures asked.

"I am a knightess. After I ran away, I ended up in Ardel and, through luck, became a knightess there, changing my name to Clara Verns, serving and guarding Her Highness Princess Anna, now known as Lady Raychard. I lived in Ardel’s castle all this time until an incident occurred that left me in this condition," Clara explained.

"No wonder we couldn’t find you! We’ve been searching as far as down south to Barges looking for you to apologise," said Thalgar.

"I told you, Lady Ammara wouldn’t be easy to track. It felt like she had vanished into thin air. There were no traces of her whatsoever," said Vaelen to his companion.

Ayden exhaled in relief and wiped his face.

"Thank goodness this is all cleared up! I thought these men would sentence you!" he said to the knightess.

"Still, though I’m innocent, I feel guilty for the first man I killed," Clara said with remorse.

"He may have been innocent in that sense, but he was not a good man. He abused his wife and children, so he’s better off dead than alive," Thalgar said.

"Oh, I didn’t know that," Clara replied, surprised.

"The trauma his wife faced made her unable to reveal her suffering. Her late husband’s family brainwashed her to charge you. It took a long time for her to speak up for herself, and she was thankful that you killed him," Vaelen added.

The revelation lifted a weight off Clara’s shoulders, freeing her from the burden of guilt.

"Just now, you mentioned Lady Raychard. Isn’t that the fainting lady we found in the forest with the knight and the prince?" Saures asked.

"Lady Raychard fainted?" Ayden exclaimed, turning to the second-in-command knight. Clara also looked concerned.

Eric raised both hands, calming them. "Now, let me explain the whole situation."

It didn’t take long for him to narrate the events, including the potential for Barges to invade the other kingdoms.

"Oh, my! This is terrible! We’ve got to do something!" said Clara.

"Yes, that’s why we want to collaborate with the Knights of Gerhard and make plans to stop the invasion. The safety of the tribe is at stake as well if it happens. I can’t ignore this matter," Saures said.

Just then, a knock came at the door, and Anryr entered with a severe expression upon Eric’s permission.

"Forgive me for interrupting, Sir Navin! I heard you are here, so I came rushing right away," he said.

"What’s the matter, Mr Foster?" asked Eric, sensing the urgency in the steward’s demeanour.

"A letter has arrived from the palace!"

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